Apple May Have Considered Purchasing Tesla, Researching Audio to Predict Heart Attacks

Sunday February 16, 2014 4:54 am PST by Eric Slivka

Apple's interest in vehicle and medical integration for its products is well-known, but a new report from the San Francisco Chronicle claims some new details on both fronts, including word that Apple may have explored a potential purchase of electric car manufacturer Tesla last year.

The specific claim that Apple was considering a purchase of Tesla seems to be primarily speculation, but the report notes that Apple's head of acquisitions Adrian Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk early last year. According to the report's source, Apple CEO Tim Cook was probably also involved in the meeting.

In October 2013, German investment banking analyst Adnaan Ahmad created a media stir when he wrote an "open letter" to Apple CEO Tim Cook and board director Al Gore, urging the company to acquire Tesla. [...]

Six months before Ahmad's letter, Musk met with Perica and probably Cook at Apple headquarters, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect business relationships. While a megadeal has yet to emerge (for all of its cash, Apple still plays hardball on valuation), such a high-level meeting between the two Silicon Valley giants involving their top dealmakers suggests Apple was very much interested in buying the electric car pioneer.

One analyst suggests that discussion of a deal to integrate iOS devices with Tesla cars may have been a much more likely topic for the meeting, but it is unclear why such a discussion would directly involve Musk and Apple's acquisitions chief.

On a separate note, the report claims that Apple's interest in medical functions, rumored to be linked to its iWatch initiative, includes an innovative effort to predict heart attacks using audio sensors. That effort is reportedly led by Tomlinson Holman, the audio pioneer behind the THX sound standard who joined Apple in 2011.

Though Apple has never confirmed it, the company hired Holman in 2011 to "provide audio direction," according to his LinkedIn profile. At the time, observers assumed Holman would focus his efforts on boosting the audio quality of MacBooks and iPhones.

But under Holman, Apple is exploring ways to measure noise "turbulence" as it applies to blood flow. The company wants to develop software and sensors that can predict heart attacks by identifying the sound blood makes as it tries to move through an artery clogged with plaque, the source said.

The report also points to Apple patents covering heart-related biometrics such as the ability to authenticate a device based on a user's unique heart rhythm.

Apple's iWatch has been rumored to include an array of sensors for monitoring a wide variety of health-related statistics, and reports have indicated that the device could arrive later this year.

Apple could also simply buy a stake in Tesla to get access to technology and engineering expertise to help Apple in it efforts to integrate iOS into automobiles. That would give Apple a testbed to determine how best to integrate iOS as well a show to build the associated diagnostic equipment using Apple products. Tesla is small enough and less likely to take a NIH approach as well as being a high profile showcase for technology to be an attractive partner.

In a much more speculative vein, Apple stores could become Tesla dealerships in select locations; circumventing existing manufacturers' dealerships efforts to keep tesla out of their home markets.

In my opinion, electric cars on the market today are "the most retarded car class in all of existence." Why would I buy a super expensive car with which I can't drive more than a couple of hundred miles? You have a luxury car and you most likely can't drive to a nearby state without being forced to stop and wait for the battery to recharge! FAIL!

You obviously don't know what you're talking about. The Model S gets 265 miles on a full charge which is done every night at home. That should serve most anyone except long distance trips. For those, Tesla has built Supercharger stations that can get a full charge in as little as 45 minutes. The charge is included in price of the car. For the $50-60 I save in gas at each station, I can buy a decent meal while I wait for the car to charge.

In addition, I have solar so I haven't paid the utility company anything for the charge at home. I've had one for over a year and have driven 13000 without spending a penny beyond my initial investment in solar.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.